On Song In CPL, Niyongabire Gets Burundi Nod

It’s no surprise to see that Valour’s Pacifique Niyongabire will return to national team duty as Burundi square up for another African Cup of Nations qualifier.

The 23-year-old has taken quickly to his new environment at IG Field, contributing one goal and two assists through his first nine league appearances.

Niyongabire is one of the fresher facings in the Burundian setup, quickly accumulating four caps for The Swallows since making his debut against Ivory Coast last November.

The forward found the scoresheet in two of his first four matches for Burundi, against Guinea U-23 and Indonesia, and has evidently impressed with that return rate.

The Swallows are set to face Namibia in a African Cup of Nations qualification contest on June 20, with their opponents topping the four-team group after three matches played.

Third-placed Burundi could leapfrog Cameroon into second place with three points in the match. Burundi’s previous matches in the qualifiers saw them draw with Namibia in the opener before a one-nil loss to Cameroon in 2022.

The timing of the national team nod could see Pacifique miss two high-profile clashes against Forge and Pacific, where he’d be sorely missed.

It would also mark Pacifique’s first-ever tournament appearance at the national team level.

The former A-League forward has started in every possible league match under Phillip Dos Santos, with his Winnipeg-based side currently resting in fifth place after a hot start to the season has somewhat simmered.